Deng Yingchao

http://www.cppcc.gov.cn 2012-07-03

Deng Yingchao (1904-1992), Chairwoman of the Sixth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), female, a native of Guangshan, Henan Province, was born in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. She moved to Tianjin in 1910. Later, she studied at Zhili No. 1 Women's Normal School. In 1919 she took part in the patriotic May 4th Movement, organized Tianjin Women's Patriots Society and served as its executive member and leader of the lecture team. She organized the Awakening Society - a progressive organization together with Zhou Enlai and others. From 1920 to 1925, she served as a primary school teacher in Beijing and Tianjin, organized Zhili branch of the Women's Rights League and the Women Star Society, initiated women's education and disseminated patriotism. In early 1924, she joined and organized Tianjin Socialist Youth League and served as member of the special branch in charge of propaganda. In March 1925 she became member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and served as head of the women's department of Tianjin regional CPC committee. She organized Tianjin Women's National Assembly Promotion Society. As a representative of Tianjin, she attended the National Congress of the National Assembly Promotion Society and was elected executive member. In 1925 she initiated and organized Tianjin Women's Federation and Tianjin National Salvation All Circles' Federation, was elected member of the presidium of the National Salvation All Circles' Federation and supported the struggle waged on May 30 in Shanghai. In August of the same year, she went to Guangzhou and served as member of the Guangdong-Guangxi regional CPC committee and head of the women's department. At the end of the year, she married Zhou Enlai. In 1926 she attended the Second National Congress of the KMT and was elected alternate member of the Central Executive Committee of the KMT. In May 1927 she went to Shanghai and served as secretary of the Women's Work Committee of the CPC Central Committee. In May 1928 she went to Moscow to attend the Sixth National Congress of the CPC as an observer. After she returned to Shanghai in November, she served as secretary of the general Party branch under the CPC Central Committee and was engaged in the Party's underground work. In May 1932 she went to the Central Revolutionary Base Area in Jiangxi. She served as secretary-general of the CPC Central Bureau, secretary of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, executive member of the Central Committee of the Chinese Soviet Republic and secretary of the general Party branch of the departments under the CPC Central Committee. In October 1934 she took part in the Long March. After she arrived in northern Shaanxi in October 1935, she served as chief of the confidential work section of the CPC Central Committee, secretary of the White Area Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the department of internal affairs and justice of the Northwest Office of the Chinese Soviet Government. After the anti-Japanese war broke out, she was sent to Wuhan and served as member in charge of women's organization in the Wuhan Office of the Eighth Route Army and member of the Women's Work Committee of the Changjiang Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. In January 1938 she attended the first meeting of the Chinese branch of the council of the International Conference on the Movement Against Aggression and was elected executive member of the council. In March of the same year, she participated in organizing China Wartime Committee for the Protection of Children and served as executive member of the committee. In June she served as the CPC member of the People's Political Council. In 1939 she served as member of the South Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of its Women's Work Committee. In the summer of 1943, she went to Yan'an and studied at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee. At the Seventh National Congress of the CPC held in 1945, she served as alternate member of the CPC Central Committee, deputy secretary of the Women's Work Committee of the CPC Central Committee and vice-chairwoman of the preparatory committee for the women's federation in the liberated area. After the victory in the anti-Japanese war, she, Cai Chang and others sent a telegram to the International Democratic Women's Federation in the name of the preparatory committee for the women's federation in the liberated area, appealed to the international community for stopping China's civil war and was elected member of the International Democratic Women's Federation. In January 1946 she attended the Political Consultative Conference in her capacity as the representative of the CPC delegation and participated in the work of the CPC delegation in Chongqing, Nanjing and Shanghai. In November she returned from Nanjing to Yan'an. In March 1947 she served as member of the Rear Area Working Committee of the CPC Central Committee. In 1948 she served as acting secretary of the Women's Work Committee of the CPC Central Committee and took charge of drafting the "Policies and Tasks for Rural Women's Work in Liberated Areas" and other documents. At the first Chinese women's national congress held in March 1949, she served as Vice-Chairwoman of the First All-China Democratic Women's Federation and served as deputy secretary of its leading Party group. Later, she served as Vice-Chairwoman and deputy secretary of the Party leading group of the Second and Third All-China Women's Federation, Honorary Chairwoman of the Fourth All-China Women's Federation and Vice-Chairwoman of the Chinese People's National Committee for the Protection of Children. In 1978 she served as Second Secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. In 1982 she served as Honorary Chairwoman of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. From June 1983 to March 1988, she served as Chairwoman of the National Committee of the CPPCC. In 1987 she served as Honorary Chairwoman of China Population Welfare Foundation. In 1991 she served as Honorary Chairwoman of China Society for People's Friendships Studies. She was member of the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth CPC Central Committees and the Political Bureau of the Eleventh and Twelfth CPC Central Committees. She was member of the Standing Committee of the First, Second and Third NPC, Vice-Chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the Fourth and Fifth NPC and member of the Standing Committee of the First CPPCC National Committee. Her major works are included in the Selected Works of Deng Yingchao.